Ryan's Weekly Family Update

Dear Ryan Families,

By now, I hope you've had the opportunity to read the email from our Superintendent, Dr. Rob Anderson, regarding student safety and well-being in BVSD following last week’s events.

Safety and wellbeing of our students in BVSD after this week’s events.

At the elementary level, we are mindful that families approach sensitive topics differently. For this reason, we do not address these events as a whole school or class. Instead, we support students, families, and staff individually, based on their specific needs. Please know that we are here for every member of the Ryan community.

At Ryan, our number one priority is safety. BVSD has a layered approach to security, which you can learn more about here: BVSD Be Ready. This approach includes Safe2Tell, an anonymous reporting system that allows anyone to share concerns. If you see something, say something—it's easy, safe, and effective: Safe2Tell Reporting.

We are incredibly grateful to our parents and guardians for your continued support and all the ways you help our students and school thrive.

Last week, we hosted both a Parent Teacher Association (PTA) meeting and a Families and Educators Together (FET) meeting. FET is a collaborative team of educators and family members working to build a more inclusive community. The goal is to support the well-being of all students by honoring parent voices and strengthening trust between educators and underrepresented families.

Next week, we will hold our first School Accountability Committee (SAC) meeting of the school year. Please check out this flyer and reach out if you're interested in joining: SAC Flyer 2025.pdf

BVSD and Ryan Elementary are committed to building strong, collaborative relationships among families, schools, and the wider community to support the success and well-being of every child. You can explore current family partnership opportunities here: Family Partnerships - Boulder Valley School District

Important Events on Tuesday, September 23rd

We have two key events taking place on Tuesday morning:

1. Lockdown Drill
   We will be conducting a lockdown drill in coordination with BVSD’s Security Team. This is a standard safety procedure, and students will be guided through it in a calm, age-appropriate way.
   
   

2. Make an Impact Assembly
   The Colorado Rockies will lead a special assembly titled Make an Impact, focused on the four bases of health:
   
   

• 1st Base: Healthy Body
  
  

• 2nd Base: Healthy Mind
  
  

• 3rd Base: Healthy Relationships
  
  

• Home Plate: Healthy Me
  
  

3. 9News will also be present to cover the event. As part of annual registration, families were given the option to opt their child out of media events. Currently, we have no students on the opt-out list. If your preferences have changed, please contact the main office as soon as possible.
   
   

We're also looking forward to our Fall Festival this Friday—a fun-filled event that brings our community together! A heartfelt thank you to our incredible PTA and all the families who made this celebration possible through their time, energy, and support.

We’re especially excited to welcome back Mr. Appling, who will be at the festival serving up his famous popcorn. Be sure to stop by, grab a bag, and take a moment to thank him for the lasting, positive impact he’s made on the Ryan community.

Please check out the PTA Section in the weekly message for more exciting PTA news, opportunities, and ways to get involved.

As always, it’s a great day to be a Rhino! Go Rhinos!

Sincerely,

Stephanie Jackman

Principal

In this newsletter you will find details on the following:

• Letter from Principal Jackman
• Important Dates and Events
• School Accountability Committee (SAC) Information
• Student Council News - Bake Sale
• Batle of the Books Information
• Ryan's Choir Announcement
• Original Works Information
• PTA Updates & Store
• Attendance Policy Information
• Volunteer Instructions
• Transportation Information
• Free & Reduced Lunch Application Details
• Free Dental Care Information
• BVSD Messenger Notifications
• Calendar Links

If you have an immediate need, please call the main office at 720.561.7000

September 19 Fall Festival 4:30-6:30 PM

October 3 Rhino Stampede Fun Run

October 8th Bike, Walk or Roll to School Day

Fall, October Parent Teacher Conferences

Tuesday, October 7th

Thursday, October 9th

Tuesday, October 15th

Spring, February Parent Teacher Conferences

Wednesday, February 19th

Thursday, February 24th

Tuesday, February 26th

Elections are happening this week in 4th and 5th grades. Thanks to everyone who is running for office.

Calling all BAKERS and/or PURCHASERS of individually packaged sweet treats! Fall Fest is coming up and each year the Student Council runs the Fall Fest Bake Sale. Tasty treats are donated by volunteers, like you, and sold by the Student Council during Fall Fest. Money raised goes towards purchasing t-shirts for Student Council and any left over funds are donated back to the Ryan PTA to help pay for school field trips, classroom materials, supplies and/or experiences. Here's how you can help!

* bake or buy items to be sold at the Fall Fest Bake Sale CLICK HERE for sign up

* drop off items to Ryan Elementary Thursday 9/18

Battle of the Books is here! Please visit Ryan's Battle of the Books Website to read more, view the lists of books, and sign your student up to participate.

Hello Ryan Families!

Choir is open to all 4th and 5th grade students who are interested in group singing. Together, we’ll explore vocal technique, learn to sing in multiple parts, and enjoy a wide variety of songs.

Rehearsals will take place in the Music Room on Wednesdays after school until 3:45 p.m., beginning September 24 and running through March 11. Students will perform in two concerts: December 17 and March 12.

We are requesting a $20 donation to help cover materials. Each student will also receive a Choir t-shirt if they don’t already have one. Donations can be made here. Please note, a donation is not required for participation.

To join, please review this document for rehearsal and concert dates and complete this form by September 24.

Questions? Contact Shauna Keene at shauna.keene@bvsd.org or 720-561-7031.

Fall fest is right around the corner! Please follow the link below to sign up to volunteer to make this event amazing!

https://bvsd.helpatschools.com/schools/16/events/16152

Rhino Stampede is October 3rd! Sign up today to help track laps and hand out popsicles!

https://bvsd.helpatschools.com/schools/16/events/16237

The Ryan PTA invites your student to participate in the National PTA Reflections Student Art Showcase for the 2025-2026 school year! In Reflections, Ryan students will submit their completed works of art in one, or all, of the available arts categories (TBD;) selected from among Dance Choreography, Film Production, Literature, Music Composition, Photography, and Visual Arts in the following program divisions: Primary (Pre-K - Grade 2), Intermediate (Grades 3-5), and Accessible Arts (all grades welcome). The theme for the 2025-2026 program year is “I Belong!”

Reflections is a National PTA cultural arts recognition program that helps students explore their own thoughts, feelings and ideas; develop artistic literacy; increase confidence and creativity; develop critical thinking and problem solving skills; and find a love for learning that will help them become more successful not only in school, but in life. See the following short video for an introduction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F30WEbPSYIs

The PTA is committed to using community businesses whenever possible. In an effort to expand our reach, we've created a survey for you to share your business' information. Please fill out this interest form to let us know who you are, what you do, and if you are willing and able at this time to donate to our school. Thank you!

Local Business Survey

PTA Website

PTA Facebook

Ryan Parents Facebook

Ryan Spiritwear Store

Are you looking for some Ryan Rhino gear? Please click on the link below for tshirts, sweatshirts, mugs, etc! These items would make great gifts for your favorite Rhino.

PTA Family Store

Daily Attendance

Please help your child develop good attendance habits. Research shows that missing just two days per month severely impacts reading and math growth. To make expected academic and social emotional gains, students should be at school at a rate of 95% or more. Habits developed in elementary school often carry over into middle school and high school.

​

If your child will be absent:

• Please let us know online via Infinite Campus OR call Ryan’s attendance line at 720-561-7002 by 8:05 a.m. If your student is arriving late, please note that in the comments section online. Always notify the office of an absence or late arrival, not just the classroom teacher.

• Attendance - Ryan Elementary School. Please include the following information in your voice message: your name, student’s name, grade & teacher, and the reason for the absence.

• As a safety precaution, all primary contacts of students marked as unaccounted absences will receive notification by BVSD’s automated attendance system to verify a child’s absence. Promptly calling in absences and tardies will prevent your home or workplace from being disturbed.

• If at all possible, make every attempt to schedule doctor and dentist appointments before or after the school day, as this tends to take away from a student’s learning time. If your child does have a medical appointment, providing us with documentation helps us code these absences properly.

• Automated calls are made by 9:00 a.m. for students who are marked as “unexcused absence”.

• Procedures and information about student absences are explain in the March 2024 Revised Board Policy, JH and Attendance & Engagement - Boulder Valley School District

Attendance Letter Communication Details

We understand sometimes our students need to be out for an extended period of time. We ask, if you know your child will be out for more than 3 days, to please fill out this form in addition to reporting the absence through the portal or attendance line.

When students in BVSD reach a certain number of absences (you can find the breakdown below), you will receive an AUTOMATED attendance letter. All absences excused or unexcused will receive these communications when the number of absences reach the particular threshold. Also please note, three (3) unexcused partial absences or five (5) unexcused tardies will equal one unexcused absence.

Letter Criteria:

• Friendly Letter after 5 days missed

• Letter A after 10 days missed

• Letter B after 15 days missed

Volunteering is a fun, simple way to get involved within the Ryan community. We have all sorts of opportunities to get involved. Whether you volunteer regularly in your teacher’s classroom, bring breakfast and coffee to teachers for late start or volunteer for the book fair, the impact can be huge. Not only does it benefit the school but it benefits your kids and families in our community as well!

bvsd.org/volunteer

Volunteers and field trip chaperones that volunteer once and are under line-of-sight supervision by BVSD staff at all times only need to go through the front office Raptor check-in process.

Individuals interested in volunteering and interacting with students on an ongoing basis under line of sight supervision of BVSD staff, complete the appropriate yearly application; ENGLISH or SPANISH. Please note, there is a $32.00 background fee due at the time of submission.

For volunteers, partners, or field trip chaperones who will not be under line-of-sight supervision of BVSD staff at all times – CBI fingerprint check is required through a third party vendor (these background checks are now valid for 5 years), paid by the volunteer or partner AND volunteer must sign a BVSD volunteer agreement (Spanish) each year.

Please see the Volunteers/Visitors Flowchart and the Volunteer/Visitor FAQ for additional details.

For assistance with transportation inquiries, trans.helpdesk@bvsd.org or 720.561.5126

Breakfast and lunch at BVSD continue to be free at least through December 2025 (pending a state vote). Every BVSD student currently may enjoy breakfast and a hot lunch entree, which includes unlimited salad bar access each school day. Second entrees can be purchased when available with money from your student’s meal account.

Even though meals are free, we strongly encourage eligible families to apply for the Free and Reduced Price School Meal program. It may qualify families for additional services and reduced fees, and improve funding for schools. More information and directions to apply.

Colorado Mission of Mercy (COMOM) is a nonprofit organization that hosts a large-scale, two-day free dental clinic in a different Colorado community each year. Since 2007, COMOM has served more than 20,000 patients and provided over $18 million in donated dental services.

The clinics are open to anyone in need and are held in large venues—such as schools or event centers—that they transform into fully functional, 125-chair dental facilities. Over two days, patients receive cleanings, fillings, root canals, extractions, dentures, and ceramic crowns—all at no cost. This effort is made possible through the support of nearly 200 volunteer dentists, along with hygienists, assistants, lab technicians, healthcare professionals, and hundreds of community volunteers. Beyond relieving pain, they restore oral health and appearance—helping patients regain confidence, dignity, and even employment opportunities.

This year, the clinic will be held in Loveland at The Ranch on October 17–18. They expect to serve more than 1,600 patients with the help of over 2,000 volunteers. Because of Loveland’s proximity, this could be a valuable resource for many BVSD students and families.

Please see this flyer for more information. (Spanish)

Boulder Valley School District recently tested their emergency alert system.

The test alert included a phone call, text message and email to those opted in to receive BVSD Communications.

Users can adjust their communication preferences as desired via these instructions.

If you did not receive a text message, and would like to opt-in to receive text messages from the district and schools through SchoolMessenger, opting-in is a two-step process:

• The person's cell phone number must be in a cell phone field in Infinite Campus (students/parents) or Infor/Lawson (employees).
• They then send a text message from their cell phone to “67587” with the word “yes” in the message. They may opt-out at any time by texting “STOP” to 67587.

Learn more on BVSD's School Messenger support page

BVSD Calendar Link

• 2025-26 Parent -Teacher Printable (English)
• 2025-26 Parent-Teacher Printable Calendar (Spanish)

• 2025-26 Academic Calendar Printable (English)

• 2025-26 Academic Calendar Printable (Spanish)

• 2025-26 Preschool Calendar Printable (English)

• 2025-26 Preschool Calendar Printable(Spanish)

• Elementary ABC Specials Weekly Rotation Calendar (English)

• Calendario de clases especiales ABC (Español)

Website: https://rye.bvsd.org/
Location: 1405 Centaur Village Drive, Lafayette, CO, USA
Phone: 720-561-7000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RyanElemSTEAM